Telinor
Telinor is the Common name for the city of Tal En'orn, meaning City of the Tree in elvish. It is the capital of the region of the same name which is mainly comprised of the surrounding forest. History Construction "Upon this world we shall stand, reaching ever towards the heavens." ''- a phrase found on one of the many plaques placed upon capstones found throughout Telinor The city was built around the college of ''Orn Tel Imen as it was founded by travelers from the Silver Veil. These elves joined with the wood elves that had settled the forest previously and together they established a state. The city claims dominion over the entirety of Telinor forest as well as the coast that the the forest borders. Shardfall "It is as we calculated, the object is approaching the city, we must act before it destroys us." ''- an extract of a letter that caused widespread panic throughout the city that was quickly quelled by the mages Telinor was predicted to be struck by the Shard during Shardfall, though at the final moments of its approach the object swung wildly towards the Amaran Sea, many believe the mages were responsible, though no record of any successful plan in regards to redirecting the Shard remains, though it was a time of great panic and upheaval and it is possible such records were destroyed. Long Night ''"Our borders must be reinforced, the humans are swarming in, drawing the monsters to us, we must take action or we will find ourselves fighting for our own lives." - ''a request for aid from a ranger to the city of Telinor during the mass migration of humans into the forests of Telinor Around seven hundred years ago the city became home to human refugees from Stovakor and its surrounding villages and towns. Many of these refugees chose to remain in Telinor for safety. Divine Era "''The humans of the east have called this a time of revelation, a time of change, but we have weathered such ages, standing proud." - ''An excerpt from a speech delivered by Archmage Ba'win When the gods began to send their messengers in the form of Exarchs, the mages and the Archmage leaders of Telinor formed a number of new schools specialising in the study of the divines, an area-relatively underdeveloped by the college. The Silence of the Gods ''"The power of the gods may have left us, but our power is as strong as ever." - ''the Archmage Naur'vic to a crowd of fearful citizens During the War in the Silence, the forest of Telinor took a protectionist stance, fearing the influence of the usurping Heir, the city saw many executions of anyone heralding the end of the world or claiming to speak for the gods. Following a meeting with a number of experts, including Hidal, the mages and Archmages of Telinor declared the gods missing and that in their absence the structures and institutions of the world would have to replace them. A policy that became known as ''filling the Silence with song, a mistranslation of the elvish that intended to encourage the use of magic to replace the services once offered by divine sources, instead this was taken literally by the common folk who flocked to the streets during times of concern or even just for the social aspect, singing ancient songs. The Rise of Tiamat For more on this, see here. During the effort to oppose the Cult of the Dragon, the College of Telinor was represented by Archmage Ba'win, who stood for the interests of the forest in the Council. Following the ascension of Dragon Queen, green dragons have once again emerged from their forest lairs to try and seize the treasures of the College. For now the old wards are holding, but with the power of a god rallied against them, the archmages grow worried. Structure Telinor is a magocracy, wherein a mage ruling class dominates the politics of the society, using its power to control, protect and guide the population. The Arcane Authority The city is ruled by a conclave of eight schools, each being specialised in a school of magic. Each member of the Arcane Authority receives the title of Archmage the equivalent of Professor, and the leaders of the respective schools become the Arch- of that discipline, they are as follows: * Archabjurer Ber'varé * Archconjurer Nost'peru * Archdiviner Thír'duul * Archenchanter Vana'lu * Archevoker Naur'vic * Archillusionist Gwath'ren * Archnecromancer Ba'win * Archtransmuter Kimi'ya The leaders of the Arcane Authority are the most powerful spellcasters in Telinor, their mastery of their school of magic is unquestioned. Academies Whilst the eight schools of magic are the largest institutions in Telinor, there are other lesser schools that explore other aspects of the esoteric arts of both the arcane and the mundane. Many of these academies are led by their own archmagi who are not part of the Arcane Authority, but would have the right to attend assemblies of all archmages as well as presenting their views on whatever topics were under discussion. Examples of Academies in Telinor include; Aerotheurgy, Cultural Considerations, Astral Navigation, and History of Non-Critical Matters. Druid Enclave As part of a larger network of druids known as the Enclave, a number of druids form part of the core structure of Telinor, acting as guardians for the forest as a whole. Most druids avoid the politics of the college, instead choosing to provide teachings on the natural magic within sacred groves within the wilds of the forest. Politics Governance The city is ruled by the leaders of the college, each a head of their particular department in the various schools of academia and college. These are elected through department voting on a individual bases whenever the previous head steps down or dies. There are currently only elves in this ruling body. Prevailing Philosophy Telinor's priority as a state is the continuation of the college's efforts in magical and non-magical study. The role of government body was placed upon the college many years after its inception. Foreign Relations Telinor maintains close ties with Quel'Doran with both having embassies spread around the other's territories. The connection between the two states is ancient compared to the relatively fledgling human kingdoms of Etan. Telinor has trade agreements with the dragonborn house of Hrekimi from Okarthel that also serve as avenues for political dialogue between the two. Military City Guard Telinor maintains a three hundred strong guard force within the city with around a thousand guardsmen spread around its various settlements and territories within the forest. These guards are mainly stationary and act as police force rather than a defense force. These are lead by a Captain of the Guard who is stationed in the city with four lieutenants each acting as the head of the settlements in the four quadrants of the forest. The Arcane Authority possess the authority to conscript any student in the college to defend it should the need arise. The Great Ward With so many wizards and arcane users, along with magic items worth more than most kingdoms and more knowledge on subjects forbidden to be shared to the rest of the world gathered in one place, a tremendous effort has been enacted over the centuries to ward the city against any type of intrusion or incursion. Throughout the city hexagram wards of a hundred types line the very walls of common buildings, charms worked into the foundations of statues and even the city plan itself, should someone highly versed in the arcane view it from above, they would note that the streets themselves map out to be defensive runes. One particular concern of the College, was that the use of teleportation could bring entire armies or covert operatives into the city instantaneously, to protect against this, countless numbers of the Teleport Trap spell were permanently inscribed across the city, all linked back to a central nexus point deep below the central tree tower of the city where the roots delve deep below the earth. The ward serves to redirect those that would seek to teleport into the city, without using specific Teleport Circles will be redirected to the holding chamber beneath the city where any damage they could do would be limited. The only way one can reliably teleport out of the city is to either know your individual password that will allow you to slip past the wards, given to individuals of significance by the College, or by using a designated Teleport Circle in a number of locations around the city. Druids and Rangers Within the forest of Telinor exists various collaborating orders of druids that whilst not usually teaching within the college itself do maintain connections to the city through recruiters to gain new members. These druids have taken it upon themselves to preserve the forest of Telinor and do so aggressively. These druids are also responsible for a pact with local dragons to collaborate on the protection of the forest. These druids are technically part of the staff of the college but many take positions in abstention Society Population Telinor has a population of around forty five thousand, with the majority being elves along with substantial human minority. Present also are various other races from across Tolas. The newcomers to Telinor find themselves becoming increasingly nocturnal as they adjust to life in the city as the majority of its activities take place beneath the starlight cast above the city via the magicks of the College. Magic lights that bob and sway through the air keep the streets visible for most races and perfectly illuminated for those with superior vision. Orn tel Imen The city is dominated by the tower of, Orn tel Imen, the arcane college of the city. The city also possess the Rod of Clear Skies, a device used to control the weather and keep a patch of sky over the city clear for astral observations as well as providing optimal growing seasons for the limited patches of farmland the elves have allowed in the forest. Buildings are arranged in a circular pattern around the central college and the eight schools that surround it, becoming sparser once you pass a few kilometres out, structures cover around three kilometres squared, with scattered buildings throughout the forest. Refugees At the beginning of the Long Night the city was flooded with human refugees from StovakorEtan fleeing the vampires. This has led to racial tensions between the elves and humans that still endure after hundreds of years due to the sudden influx of people and the cultural clash of ideals between these two groups. The Bridge A group claiming to be working for the benefit for the humans of Telinor calling itself The Bridge, has been steadily increasing its members. It is comprised of humans with innate magical ability that had petitioned the college to admit them but were refused. Most elves in the city believe it is comprised of thugs and thieves that only want to use their magic to acquire wealth. This group often comes into conflict with the group known as the the Blackstaves, a militant group of anti-human elves from the college. This group mostly disbanded following the reforms to the college enacted by Ba'win, with only hard-line anti-elf members remaining. The Blackstaves With the release of Eol’din from the Steward’s Prison the Blackstaves of Telinor have gained considerable influence in the city, as their founder and most powerful member once again leads them, himself gaining a place on the council of professors. While himself not holding extremist views against humans being taught magic, he had no desire to allow them to enter the college and continues his groups policies to avoid division. Following the Invasion of Maktur the Blackstaves' influence over the college was severely diminished, with many disassociating themselves from the organisation. Economy Production Telinor is most well known for its exports of exotic fruits and vegetables that its power over weather allows it to grow year round. The amount of land set aside for such activity however is quite limited due to the druid's reluctance to allow parts of the forest to be cut down, which as led to much exploration of the forest to find parts where the trees would not prevent crop growth due to proximity. Farmland in Telinor as a result is patchwork with much of it taken place on and around the home. Mirror Wine An alcoholic drink created exclusively in Telinor, Mirror Wine has a brilliant red shine that reflects light to such an extent to appear as a mirror. It is consumed in two ways, either taken alone, in which case it has a cool flavour that clings to the palate, or taken with a single drop of some other flavour such as vanilla, cinnamon or fruit essence which causes the wine to change completely into one that perfectly suits whatever additional flavour is added to it. Artefacts Telinor also has a large market for the buying and selling of magical artefacts. The city is filled with magical devices with even the average citizen having access to simple implements of convenience. Telinor's biggest trading partner is Quel'Doran whom they deal mostly in artefacts with. Sang City is also a recipient of many of Telinors lesser wondrous items. Religion Prevailing Beliefs Aureon is the primary deity of Telinor and the College, with Solonar a close second. The college itself is often considered a temple to Aureon, most books found in the city will have dedications to him inscribed inside and he would receive regular thanks throughout the year (especially around the entrance exam). Solonar is considered the deity of the forest and the balance that allows the city to exist within it. Cult of Vecna Rumors exist of some students and teachers worshipping a figure known as Vecna for forbidden knowledge, the Blackstaves, the most vocal and militant of the anti-human parts of Telinor, are often the focus of such rumors. Temples exist throughout the city to the mainstream gods and hidden shrines to those less accepted in civilised parts. Calendar Usage TheAstral CalenderCommon Calendar was invented, and refined in Telinor. Filling the Silence with Song When the gods when silent, a number of doomsday cults sprang up around the city and forests of Telinor, these were promptly dealt with harshly by the new Arcane Authority, executing those that spread fear and panic. With the citizens looking to the mages for answers the phrase fill the silence with song, came about, a mistranslation of the elvish wording which had intended to encourage people to rely on their own magical abilities and artefacts rather than the boons and words of the gods, instead the common folk took the expression literally and filled the streets during times of concern, such as during the War in the Silence. As humans, elves and all manner of peoples of Telinor flooded the streets in throngs, all singing ancient songs, Telinor's connection to the Moon began to strengthen, allowing for tenuous connections to be made to the plane. Worship of Valheria began to reemerge, though no formal church or canonised form of worship has been established. Some sought to travel to the Silver Veil in hopes of reconnecting with the lost heritage of the elves, though so far none have been successful.Category:EtanCategory:LocationCategory:ElfCategory:Settlement Category:Telinor